Create a Serene Home with Smart Technology

Mixing the relaxing outdoors with smart home technology isn't always easy. You have to wrangle the crazy routines of busy families with the unpredictable forces of nature. However, once you have everything nailed down to the very last automated drape, this is what you get...

The way Chicago-based Wheeler Kearns Architects approached the challenge (and something we would recommend keeping in mind when undertaking such a project at this scale), was to get every routine down to the lowest level of detail. Questions like:

"How long do you brush your teeth?"
"How do you like doors to open on a Summer day?"

Other questions we'd probably add to the list are:

What temperature does everyone like to wake up/go to sleep to?

What time does the sun hit our building?

Have we taken daylight savings into account?

What rooms get the most foot traffic? (for potential floor heating solutions)

What volume should we set the music during daily routines?

What time does everyone sleep?

Do we have guests over often?

What time do we have to let the dog out? (for sprinklers not surprising you early in the morning)

What should our place look like when we're out traveling? (for home security)

What kind of mood would we like to set when returning home everyday?

After gathering details of the family's daily habits, you can start the integration planning. Whether it's including multiple A/V systems, 22 zones of heating and cooling, and 65 motorized window shades and drapes throughout like the home above, or just a simple timer set to turn on-and-off lights around the house, the goal is to de-emphasize technology as much as possible while squeezing that custom-feeling of your own personalized, technologically advanced space.

Did we mention the entire home's program is all uploaded to the cloud? Yeah, that's some fancy stuff alright. Now if anyone can help find us a cheap DIY solution to do this under $1k?